Global Marketplace, 1980s – 2010s

The recent history of the United States is yet another time of economic turbulence and change. The velocity of business increased as transportation, communication, and data analysis empowered global commerce like never before. Trade and financial connections that transcend national boundaries are fundamental to the new era.

Although the United States remains the world’s largest economy, the work of its people has begun to shift. Increasingly fewer workers are engaged in agriculture and manufacturing and more involved in a wide range of services, including everything from, scientific research and finance , to retail and food service. More over income inequality is widening and has begun to resemble what it was about 100 years ago.

Competing nations profit by supplying American’s increasing consumption of goods, but rising interdependence also challenges traditional local values, creating both opportunity and friction. Globalization presents benefits for some and challenges for others.